Visa tests stablecoins for instant cross-border payments

The company is testing the integration of USDC and EURC into Visa Direct to speed up corporate transfers and reduce costs

Visa launches pilot project with stablecoins for cross-border payments

30.09.2025 - 12:05

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2 min

Key points:

The Visa Direct pilot allows companies to pre-fund transfers in USDC and EURC, treating them as cash equivalents.
The goal of the project is to reduce settlement times from several days to minutes, increase liquidity, and reduce currency risks.
The program is expected to scale in 2026 with the participation of banks and fintech companies.

Global payment giant Visa has launched a pilot project allowing the use of USDC and EURC stablecoins for cross-border transfers. The new option in the Visa Direct system was presented at the SIBOS 2025 conference and is already being tested by a number of financial partners.

The company considers stablecoins to be “cash equivalents” that allow corporate accounts to be pre-funded and instant payments to be initiated. The solution is aimed at reducing costs, freeing up working capital, and accelerating liquidity availability for businesses.

How the model works

Visa partners will be able to top up accounts in the Direct system in stablecoins, while recipients of transfers will be able to receive funds in local currency. This approach circumvents the limitations of traditional systems, especially during non-business hours and weekends when banks are closed.

Visa said that the total volume of its stablecoin payments has already exceeded $225 million, which is still a small fraction of its total annual turnover of $16 trillion. The program is scheduled to be expanded in 2026.

The company confirmed that Circle’s USDC and EURC were the first assets to be tested, but other stablecoins may be integrated in the future. A Visa representative also did not rule out the release of its own token.

The company previously partnered with Bridge (Stripe) to issue cards linked to stablecoins and with African fintech Yellow Card to test treasury operations. Visa also launched a tokenized asset platform for banks to issue and manage stablecoins on a pilot basis.

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